Courtesy PhotoLauren Hukill (left) and Haley Evans will have their first retail adventure together at the Running Water Draw Arts & Crafts Festival.

Courtesy PhotoLauren Hukill (left) and Haley Evans will have their first retail adventure together at the Running Water Draw Arts & Crafts Festival.

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Haley Evans

Haley Evans

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Lauren Hukill

Lauren Hukill

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Crafty friends: Entrepreneurs hope to sell handwork at festival

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By NICKI BRUCE LOGAN

Herald Lifestyles Editor

It may be a first for the Running Water Draw Arts & Crafts Festival - two young entrepreneurs selling their original handmade items as diverse as placemats for pets and sugar scrub for humans.

Longtime friends Haley Evans and Lauren Hukill, both 10, will have their first craft booth together, courtesy of Betty Foster, who is in charge of the festival and booth rentals.

Haley led the way in the venture after missing a chance to have a booth at an Amarillo mall due to missing the deadline for entries to the Kids in Business Day.

"She remembered going to the Running Water Draw Festival in past years, then Googled to find a contact," Haley's mother, Lindy, explains, adding that Haley e-mailed Foster explaining who she was and asking how to participate.

"Mrs. Foster replied and encouraged her, but we were hesitant about the rental fee and weren't sure whether to make it a ‘real world' experience - pay the rental for the experience and hope to come out even, or just sit it out and hope for a free opportunity to come up.

"A few weeks ago, Haley was thrilled to get an e-mail from Mrs. Foster offering her a booth for free and inviting her to bring her crafts, along with her friend, Lauren, who makes rice bags and sugar scrub."

The girls, who have been friends since attending La Mesa Elementary together, eagerly accepted Foster's offer.

The adventure into retail is appealing to the girls, both as an outlet for their creativity and as a way to market their products.

According to her mother, Haley has always had an interest in hand crafts.

"She prefers to come up with her own projects instead of using a kit," Lindy says. "She knits, makes bracelets and likes to sketch fashion design."

In fact, it was her expertise in knitting that drew Haley and Lauren together, craftwise.

"Lauren and Haley first started doing crafts together over a knitting lesson," says Lezlie Hukill, Lauren's mother. "Lauren wanted to learn to knit and she knew that Haley knew how. In fact, Haley carried yarn and knitting needles in their van."

She explains that since Haley is the youngest of three children, she gets to spend a lot of time in the car. Waiting is another thing the girls have in common as Lauren also is the youngest of three children.

"We had Haley over to ‘teach' Lauren how to knit one day," Lezlie says, laughing. "She was such a patient teacher, but they finally gave up on the knitting lessons. Lauren is left handed and it just wasn't going so well."

Although the knitting lessons were a flop, Lauren and Haley both excel at other crafts, and that's how they ended up with a booth at the upcoming Running Water Draw show.

For the Running Water Draw show, Haley has made or decorated paw cloths, magnets, picture frames, dog treats and treat jars, food and water placemats, food scoops and dog collar bandanas. The crafts include items for dogs, cats, hamsters, horses and general pet lovers. Most are priced between $1-$6, and many can be personalized at the craft fair.

"Haley has already learned quite a bit about supply costs, pricing and profits and has made some sales to family and friends," Lindy says. "We have discussed money management: give some, save some, spend a little."

Lauren's interest in hand crafts began when she was 8 years old and asked for a sewing machine for her ninth birthday.

"Her grandmother gave her that gift, and the rest is history," Lezlie says.

"Lauren's first sewing project came as a request from her teacher at La Mesa, Rae Rousseau. She knew Lauren could sew and she asked her to make her a rice bag."

Despite the name, rice bags are not for storing food.

"The bag does contain rice and can be heated or cooled, then applied to various aches and pains (on the body)," Lezlie explains. "Or it can be used simply as a warmer or cooler."

Lauren enjoyed making that first bag, then made several for her principal, Sharon Wright, and other La Mesa teachers.

Realizing that the best way to market an item is to get it in the hands of the buyer, Lauren took warm rice bags to appreciative La Mesa teachers when they were standing in the drop-off lane on cold winter days.

Soon, Lauren expanded her creations to include sugar scrub for hands and feet and recently began making small jewelry bags and flower hair bows, all of which she will have at the craft show under her business name, "Lauren's Creations."

Lauren got serious about her craft hobby when she asked her parents for an iPod. Told she would have to wait for Christmas or buy it herself, she started peddling her products in the neighborhood.

"That took off, then she was making sales calls to the friends whose homes she couldn't walk to, taking phone orders and making deliveries," Lezlie says. "She sold enough to purchase the iPod!"

Lezlie says having a crafty daughter has been a different experience for her.

"It's been a fun journey - not one I was expecting to take, but isn't that the way it often is with our kids? Even Kregg (Lezlie's husband and Lauren's father) now can navigate the craft section of most any store."

Lauren's sisters are Kaitlin and Claire. She is the granddaughter of Dewey and Pat Hukill of Olton, Bob and Betty Thompson of Green Cove Springs, Fla., and Daniel and Angie Rash of Beeville.

Haley is the daughter of Barry and Lindy Evans of Kress and Lubbock and now attends Roscoe Wilson Elementary in Lubbock. She is the granddaughter of Bob and Kay Goodman of Sanger and Billy and Edna Evans of Kress and the sister of Emily and Eric.